


Sorting

by ununoriginal



Series: TLC!verse [2]
Category: NewS (Band)
Genre: M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-15
Updated: 2008-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:12:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ununoriginal/pseuds/ununoriginal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shige has a collection.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sorting

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Love That Chases](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/23333) by misticloud. 



Every year, as July draws near, Shige will pull out a box from under his bed, and empty it out on the rug in front of him. Inside will be a whole assortment of random items – ticket stubs from various cinemas and plays he's been to over the past few months, crumpled scraps of paper where he's scribbled drafts for his Myojo essays, creased print-outs of his class schedules, magazines folded to the last section he was browsing, and maybe a couple of rings and stray pens that he thought he had lost. 

One by one, he'll sort through the items, separating them into either the 'throw' or 'keep' pile. But before he consigns an object to one of the stacks, he'll let his mind wander back to that particular day or time, indulging himself in the memory and emotions of the experiences associated with them. The important things will earn their place on his bed, before being carefully gathered up and added to the shelf above his study desk, where he can glance up at them from time to time when he does his schoolwork. 

He grins a little at the framed photograph of KKKity, even though his heart gives that familiar twinge as his gaze brushes past Kusano's brilliant smile. NewS' first CD single and live DVD lean side by side against the wall at the back of the shelf, but people normally overlook the uchiwa of Ryo that he'd secreted away at the end of their first concert tour resting underneath the plastic casings. Next to them is a copy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' biography translated into Japanese – he'd heard Ryo humming their songs so many times he'd started getting interested in them too. A couple of years later, he'd added Anthony Kiedis' 'Scar Tissue', in the original English this time (because he thought it would be more challenging), to the stack. The book on top of that one is Soseki's 'Wagahai wa Neko De Aru'. There are other NewS- and work-related stuff, like the notebook he'd used while composing his solos, various other pictures capturing him and the other members in the midst of their concert tours, scripts from the dramas he's been in. 

But there are also articles taking pride of place there that seem inexplicable to others. 

Sitting on the books is an empty Asahi beer can. When pressed, Shige will say that it's to remember the first time he ever tried alcohol. Only Koyama knows the real answer, but for all his chatter, this is one story he never tells. Sticking out from under the book pile is a brochure of a hotel in Hiroshima. Nobody gets why Shige would want to keep an advertisement of some random hotel NewS stayed in while they were on tour, but he insists it was for the good times. Then there is a napkin from a late-night cafe in Ginza, and a pair of chopsticks still in their paper pocket, the name of a yakiniku restaurant printed on it. Tucked in with the chopsticks is a ticket stub, crumpled and then smoothed out and folded neatly – if someone is nosy enough to open it, they would find that it was for a ride from Omotesando station. There are also a few other stubs, for amusement park visits and movies, in memory of the fun that he and Koyama had on those outings. 

The first time Ryo _really_ saw the shelf, he'd remained silent for a long time, then he reached out, pulled Shige to him and held him for even longer. 

This year, Shige leans back against his bed and stretches after finishing the sorting of this year's 'treasures'. He places all the 'throw' items in a trash bag and ties it up before turning to the 'keep' pile. One by one, he adds them to his collection on the shelf, shifting some of the things around to make space for the new - a couple more photos of him and Uchi at the NTV studios, the pair of glasses he wore as Katase on 'Hoka Ben', his old mobile phone with all the messages he could never bear to delete. 

He picks up the uchiwa he'd secretly hidden all those years ago and gazes at Ryo's grinning face looking back at him, thinking of journeys and heartbreak, and of words that were such a long time coming. 

Then he slips it back under the books and goes back to join the sleeping figure in his bed. His entry disturbs the peaceful calm of the other's slumber and they shift around a bit until they finally get comfortable again, Ryo's arm across his stomach and Ryo's breath softly puffing against his neck. 

Smiling, he glances one more time at the shelf in its new arrangement, before he turns off the light.


End file.
